With the spring equinox tomorrow our gardeners are getting ready to get back out to their plots. This time of year is perfect for getting cold tolerant plants, like leeks, kale, and spinach, back into the ground. It’s easy to be excited at all the food growing possibilities ahead of us for 2018.

At this time of year it’s also important to make sure you go into your prime growing season with a plan. There are few things more disappointing in the garden than realizing you’ve overdone it on the zucchini and now have no room for the other fruits and veggies you had been dreaming about all winter. Some good steps to take are to be realistic about what you want to grow (and eat!) and to make a map of the space you have. Graph paper works well for this because it helps you give ample space to those plants that need it, which might also help you eliminate plants from that long list of yours!

Another thing to consider is that some plants mature quicker than others, and some prefer fall temperatures to summer ones. If you want to maximize space and season then make a spreadsheet of what you can plant now for June/July harvest and then what you can plant mid-late summer for fall/winter harvest!

This time of year is for re-birth and new growth – so get planning and get your hands dirty.